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PS4 Review: Nobunaga’s Ambition Sphere of Influence Ascension

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Ascension is a standalone expansion to the original game, Sphere of Influence, that originally launched last year. After playing through the most recent Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it was a breath of fresh air to come back to familiar territory. If you have further questions on my thoughts regarding Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence I recommend reading my original review as my thoughts haven’t changed much from Ascension so I’ll make this brief. While not a lot has changed in this expansion, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer anything new.

The biggest addition to the game is siege battles, wherein you can take on castles and the like, and naval skirmishes. While fun in their own right, I didn’t think it added enough variety to merit a full on expansion for $60. Other than those two big extras, there are new scenarios to tackle with altering allies as well, but again, not much else. It looks and plays the same so all the positives are still golden while the negatives remain bothersome like the tiny text.

I often found myself standing next to my TV and playing in quick burst rather than long sessions. I could have gotten a stool and played next to my rig, but my setup isn’t really setup for that. I actually found a half measure in combating this problem that I actually never tired with the original: remote play. While handling the button arrangement on my PS Vita had its own issues, the text was at least more legible and I had great time playing it as a companion app to other experiences.

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Ascension is a good, but not great expansion. With the dozens of hours I sunk into Ascension I will say those who liked the original will likely enjoy the new editions, but the price is a bit high for me to recommend jumping in straight away. Wait for a good sale and then by all means have a blast.

Score: 3/5 Stars

Special Notes: I was provided with a PS4 review code for Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Ascension.